INTRODUCTION
Indonesia’s Nickel Expansion and the Forests at Risk
The climate crisis is accelerating. 2024 was the hottest year on record, pushing past the 1.5°C warming threshold. To mitigate this, a rapid energy transition away from fossil fuels is urgently needed.
ENERGY TRANSITION
The Demand for Critical Minerals
This transition requires a massive increase in critical minerals. Clean energy technologies, particularly electric vehicles, depend heavily on nickel. By 2050, global nickel demand could surge 3.4 times.
GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN
Indonesia at the Center
Indonesia holds ~44% of global nickel reserves and produced 62% of the world's supply in 2024. It serves as the central node in the global EV supply chain, with rapidly expanding processing hubs.
SULAWESI & MALUKU
Massive Smelting Capacity
Sulawesi holds massive processing capacity (~1.24M tonnes Ni-eq), dominated by RKEF technology. North Maluku adds another ~733,000 tonnes. New HPAL facilities signal a shift towards battery-grade nickel.
SOCIO-ECOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES
The Geographical Footprint
This expansion has a severe geographical footprint. The push for decarbonization is increasing pressure on forests, coastal areas, and Indigenous territories, causing profound socio-ecological consequences.
SPATIAL ANALYSIS
Methodology
This spatial analysis uses 2026 nickel mining licensing data and 2024 forest cover data to map the relationship between mining expansion and forest ecosystem risks across Indonesia.
INDONESIA OVERVIEW
The Nickel Frontier
Indonesia is the global epicenter of nickel extraction, powering the world's green energy transition. But this rapid expansion is carving deep into some of the world's most biodiverse tropical forests.
SULAWESI
The Epicenter
Sulawesi bears the brunt of Indonesia’s nickel-driven industrialization. Vast industrial parks and open-pit mines now spread across its coastlines and rainforests, placing mounting pressure on marine ecosystems, forest landscapes, coastal communities, and Indigenous territories. As mining concessions expand, forests, fisheries, and customary lands face growing risks from land clearing, pollution, and industrial encroachment.
MALUKU / HALMAHERA
Nickel Expansion and the Threat to Halmahera’s Rainforests
In North Maluku, the Weda Bay Industrial Park has expanded at a rapid pace, accelerating the growth of nickel mining across Halmahera. Once-pristine rainforests are being cleared to make way for open-pit mines, roads, and massive smelter complexes, fragmenting forest landscapes that are vital to biodiversity and local livelihoods. This expanding industrial footprint places growing pressure on the O’Hongana Manyawa people, including uncontacted groups whose ancestral forests are increasingly threatened by land clearing, pollution, and encroachment.
PAPUA
The Next Frontier
As reserves deplete elsewhere, the extractive gaze turns toward Papua. The world's third-largest rainforest area is now highly vulnerable to future mining expansion and ecological collapse.
The energy transition Should Not Cost Ecological Collapse
The transition to electric vehicles must be just. We cannot sacrifice the lungs of the earth to save the atmosphere. Explore the data, understand the impact, and demand sustainable supply chains.